White People Have It Soooo Bad

I think the idea of a cultural panic over the unsubstantiated idea that white girls were being traded as slaves in the tens of thousands is really fitting for understanding American history. Even saying “American” history when I’m referring to the citizens of the United States of America captures this tone: white U.S. citizens are full of themselves and intolerant to anyone who isn’t white. This obviously occurred with the systemic enslavement of millions of Africans brought to the U.S., but exists throughout every moment of the U.S. history. There was the view that the Native Americans were uncivilized, to the exploitation of Chinese laborers to build the railroads, and even the unjust judgement of Muslim and Middle Eastern people over the events of 9/11. It’s so engrained in the fabric of our nation that this country was created for white people, and only over time have we fought for other races and groups to possess the same basic rights as white people with European ancestry (and the “we” who fought for those rights was a majority of these oppressed peoples, with a minority of white supporters). Understanding this bizarre racist history, we see the value these white girls were given while the black and brown girls were disregarded. Another reoccurring element of white American culture has been the belief that white Christians are being persecuted or attacked in some manner. This is seen today with the wave of Christian nationalism, but back then it applies to, with people making up false stories of thousands of white girls being trafficked and sold. And yes, of course there was some human trafficking occurring, as it is an extremely unfortunate reality of the world we live in, but the claim that it was happening on such a grand scale is absurd.